


Closing Time

by isaacedison



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-07-13 02:46:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7135385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isaacedison/pseuds/isaacedison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anything's possible in a shop that sells rotten tomatoes claiming they are fresh and healthy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closing Time

**Author's Note:**

> This was written at midnight, meaning, I'm not accountable for anything that happens in this story because we all know: anything that's written by someone who is half asleep is equal to the quality of their non-existent sleep which, in my case, is really bad.

His job wasn't exactly very exciting. The payment was okay, though. Putting cereal boxes into shelves, cleaning the floor every few hours and reading the descriptions of various products to elderly ladies didn't sound too bad and Thomas really needed the cash. He didn't spend any time thinking about grumpy customers or annoying little children who wanted to get candy for free. All he thought about was the money.

Saying he was in debt was an understatement. Ever since his parents stopped financing his studies, he had a hard time getting by. Unfortunately he was way too stubborn to ask them for money and so he ended up in a small store that sold everything but fresh vegetables or anything else a decent human being would eat. Still, Thomas gave his best at selling and always tried to make it sound like the food from the shop was actually edible.

Today, however, he decided that he was officially done with his job. After hours of listening to the same woman that came to the store every three days complain about the state of the tomatoes ("Look at those tomatoes! Everything about them screams food poisoning! I won't buy that!"), Thomas was already fed up but then his boss showed up to give him an extra shift. Apparently his co-worker wasn't feeling too well. It sounded more like a hangover than an actual illness, though.

Thomas was ready to leave the store and never come back, when suddenly the door swung open and an Asian boy entered. He had put his hands in the air and shrieked something among the lines of "emergency." Thomas sensed trouble. He knew guys like that kid (he felt a little ridiculous about calling a boy his age kid, yet it made him feel a little more mature.) All fun and games until you speak up. Then they get furious.

The stranger continued running around while shouting inaudible words when Thomas heard someone say: "Get a grip, Minho. You're not a bloody child anymore. Can't you behave at least once?"

Thomas turned around in surprise and noticed a blond boy standing near the front door. Apparently he knew the other one. That wasn't what Thomas was thinking in that moment, though. Although he was able to keep a straight face, he went crazy in his head because the boy in front of him was probably the most handsome person this shop had ever seen. The usual customer was at least thirty years older, more aggressive and most importantly not as good looking.

“W-Welcome sir, c-can I help you?" Thomas stuttered nervously.

The blond boy looked at him for a while which made Thomas a little uncomfortable. Usually people didn't really pay attention to him since he was, well, a typical teenage boy. No one had ever given him such a body scan. Sadly, the boy's facial expression was unreadable. Thomas wasn't sure if the stranger liked what he saw.

"Actually, yes, that would be very nice," the boy answered, "First of all, please don't call me sir. I'm barely a few years older than you. And secondly, what would you get an eighteen-year old girl for her birthday? Because I'm bloody lost here. She said she didn't want a gift but I'm pretty sure that if I don't get her something she will kill me."

Thomas didn't pay attention to whatever the boy had just said. Instead he tried not to instantly fall for his British accent. It was Thomas's one and only weakness. British boys. Preferably, handsome British boys. The words "eighteen-year old girl" however ruined everything. 'Nice try,' Thomas told himself, 'He's already taken.'

"Newt!" the Asian boy, Minho if Thomas understood it correctly, shouted hysterically, "I've got a brilliant idea. Flowers and chocolate. I'll give her the flowers and you can buy her the chocolate. She'll love us and will never notice that we forgot her birthday!"

"Oh Minho," the blond boy, a.k.a. Newt, began, "I like your enthusiasm but that idea is terrible. She hates flowers, so we can't bring them as a gift. She's also currently on a diet, so if you buy her chocolate, she will probably strangle you. And we didn't forget her birthday. You did. And now you're scared and trying to drag me into this. I don't even know Brenda that well!"

He should have been happy when he found out that the mysterious girl was not Newt's girlfriend. But Thomas wasn't. Because he knew Brenda. And had also forgotten her birthday. And he just knew that she could be unforgiving.

The two boys seemed to have noticed Thomas's sudden terrified expression and his pale face. While Minho didn't show much interest, the other boy seemed genuinely concerned.

"Are you okay Thomas?" he wanted to know.

"How do you even know my name?"

Thomas freaked out a little. He had absolutely no idea how the boy in front of him could know his name. 'Have I met him before? Did somebody introduce us to each other? Does he know me? Has he noticed that I'm a total sucker for his British accent?' His thoughts were running wild and he was suddenly sure that he should have never taken this stupid job in this stupid store with all those stupid customers.

"Well..."

Newt pointed at Thomas's name tag and suddenly the world started making sense again. Well, at least a little.

"I know Brenda too," Thomas blurted out.

He didn't really know what else to say and the silence started getting really uncomfortable. Mostly because he was embarrassed and hoped that the two boys would soon leave and that he would never have to see them again. A small smile appeared on Thomas's face as he thought about going home, curling into a little pitiful ball, covered in as many blankets as possible, thinking 'Wow. Today I made a total fool out of myself. Again. While a handsome, British boy was standing next to me.' Maybe he could also make some hot chocolate. Tonight he felt like anything could happen.

"Hey Tommy, are you still with me?"

Thomas had spun around in surprise.

"Did... Did you just call me Tommy?" he asked.

Speaking without thinking about it first was Thomas's specialty. On days like this, when his brain to mouth filter decided to take a quick vacation, this side of him showed constantly. His only chance was that Newt found this clumsy behaviour with a slight touch of stupidity very endearing and cute. Which was probably not the case, judging from Newt's facial expression.

"It's a nickname, you know, shorter and everything?" Newt tried to explain.

"It has the same amount of syllables as my actual name," Thomas contered.

Newt leaned forward, until only a few centimetres separated him from Thomas. Then he gave the cashier a smirk that made Thomas's heart beat a lot faster than usually.

"But Tommy sounds so much cuter," he whispered. "You don't have a problem with me calling you that, right?"

"N-not at all," Thomas couldn't help but stutter while replying.

"Guys please," he heard Minho complaining in the far distance. "Less flirting, more brainstorming."

Thomas glanced at the Asian boy who was currently walking around the store looking for something to give to Brenda. For some reason he didn't like Minho that much. Maybe it was because he and Newt seemed so close. Or because Minho kept touching every item in the shop. Or because at some point he stared at the fruit and vegetable section, leaned down, sniffed at the tomatoes and then whispered: "Smells like food poisoning." Thomas was about to ask him if he had a grandmother who was a regular costumer at this shop when Newt initiated a conversation.

"Earlier you said you know Brenda as well. Do you have a present for her?"

"No, not really," Thomas admitted. "And, um, she also didn't invite me to her birthday party which, well, seems to be a good thing now that I think about it."

They say that there are some people you can get along with well without having to talk to them, people in whose presence you can enjoy the silence. And although Thomas was one hundred percent sure that Newt was everything he had been looking for his entire life, the silence was more than just uncomfortable. It was devastating. Mostly because Thomas seemed like the typical loser of town.

"So that means you're free tonight?" Newt asked after quite some time.

Thomas raised his eyebrows and then pointed towards his worn out uniform.

"I'm never really free, you know."

Thomas could hear how Minho slapped himself in the face.

"Lord have mercy on my soul, he's trying to ask you out, you idiot!"

Thomas immediately spun around and started at Newt while making a really high pitched screeching sound that was supposed to mean "Really?"

"Yes, really. Do you want to go out with me?" Newt asked smiling.

"But... You don't know me at all?"

"That's why I'm asking you on a date and not to marry me. So what do you say?"

"Let's go on a date. I mean, it's not like there are any customers. My boss won't mind if I close the shop a little earlier than usually," Thomas said, trying to stay as calm as possible (meaning, he sweated and stuttered and shook the entire time while speaking. Which wasn't embarrassing at all.)

"Wait!" Minho screamed as he watched how Thomas fished out his keys to close the store. "I still don't have a present for Brenda! She's going to kill me! And it'll be your fault!"

"Just tell her that I have the present, but that I unfortunately can't join her party," Newt said without tearing his eyes from Thomas. "Let's go, Tommy."

And without any further discussion, the two boys left Minho alone standing in front of the shop, completely helpless.

"I knew that this was going to happen one day. Damn accent."

**Author's Note:**

> Does anyone want a continuation? If yes, that'd be kind of a surprise but I'm sure there are many sleepless nights ahead of me, so... I have actually no idea where I'm going with this? If you want more, tell me. Thanks for reading.


End file.
